2017-01-20

The Citi Prestige® Card is offering 50,000 bonus points after you make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Redeeming towards flights booked through Citi is your best redemption option, where the points are worth 1.33 cents apiece, or $665 (this will drop to 1.25 cents per point in mid-2017). Your second best option for redemption would be with gift cards, where your bonus will be worth $500.

Keep in mind, the 50,000 bonus points offer is found by going directly to Citi’s website, rather than through their partner websites/blogs.

The Citi Prestige® Card is in the premium travel credit card category and carries a massive $450 annual fee, which isn’t waived the first year either. Not surprisingly, most people wouldn’t even consider this card, and justifiably so. But this card has its place, and that’s with the frequent traveler who enjoys the premium travel benefits.

While there are many travel benefits exclusive to these types of premium travel cards, we feel the ones that stick out the most for the Citi Prestige® are:

The free access to 1,000 airport lounges through Priority Pass Select.

The $250 Air Travel Credit.

The rewards rate: 3X on Air Travel & Hotels, 2X on Dining & Entertainment, and 1X on other purchases.

The complimentary 4th night stay at any hotel of your choice.

Of course, the 50,000 bonus points offer.

The newly introduced Chase Sapphire ReserveSM is our pick as the best premium travel card, but it’s always best to compare all your options before deciding on a card with such a big annual fee.

Priority Pass Airport Lounges With The Citi Prestige® Card



Plaza Premium Lounge at Hong Kong International

The Priority Pass program is the best around for airport lounge access, with over 1,000 locations available worldwide. The membership level that is complimentary with the Citi Prestige® Card is the Priority Pass Select, which is equivalent to the Prestige membership level when purchased directly through Priority Pass. This is a $399 value ($359 with this discount), which justifies the $450 annual fee quite a bit.

While many major airports in the U.S. have lounges in the program (e.g. JFK, LAX, ATL, ORD, etc.), many also do not. Luckily, the worldwide footprint is massive, where relaxation in lounges abroad benefit the most.

You can look on their website or mobile app to find all the current locations.



*Note: American Airlines Admirals Club lounge access is still complimentary with this card, but that is set to phase out after June 2017. Priority Pass Select membership will still continue on unaffected.

Get $250 In Air Travel Credit Annually

If you travel at all during the year, you’re probably going to use up this benefit and essentially cut out more than half of the annual fee. Every year, you’ll receive $250 in Air Travel Credit that will be automatically applied to flight related expenses charged to your card. Not only does it apply to incidentals like baggage fees and upgrades, but also the flight tickets themselves.

For frequent travelers who will take advantage of the lounge access and air travel credit, the $450 annual fee will already be more than negated.

The Rewards Rate Of 1.25% To 3.75%



Redeem for flights through Citi for maximum redemption value

For those that spend a significant amount on travel, the rewards earning rate of the Citi Prestige® Card will make more sense than with a traditional travel credit card. You’ll get 3 points per dollar spent on air travel and hotels, and 2 points per dollar on dining at restaurants and entertainment.

Two popular travel cards with lower annual fees, the Barclaycard Arrival PlusTM ($89 annual fee/2X miles on all purchases) and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® ($95 annual fee/2X points on travel and dining), earn travel rewards at a lesser rate.

The actual earnings rate will be higher if you redeem towards travel through the Citi ThankYou Travel Center, where each point is worth 1.33 cents (drops to 1.25 cents mid-2017). When redeemed with this option, your earnings rate will range from 1.25% (non-category purchases) to 3.75% (air and hotel purchases).

4th Hotel Night Complimentary

Free unlimited 4th hotel nights

When you book through the Citi Prestige Concierge, you’ll get a free 4th night stay at any hotel of your choice after a minimum 4-consecutive night booking. The offer page notes that for reservations made on or after July 23, 2017, the benefit will be calculated as the average nightly rate of your total stay, not including taxes.This is certainly a good perk if you travel often and stay at luxury hotels. However, your options for booking through the concierge are by calling in or emailing them. There’s no streamlined web interface for price comparison versus booking through the hotel itself, or through travel sites like Priceline or Agoda. Regardless, if you’re staying somewhere that is $300+ a night, it may be worth checking the price through the concierge to compare with your outside booking options.

Getting The 50,000 Bonus Points

Again, you’ll find this offer by going directly to Citi’s website. We’ll monitor the offer and make updates if there are any changes.

You’ll have to spend $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening to qualify for the bonus. The bonus will put you in the positive right off the bat for the first year despite the $450 annual fee.

We strongly believe the targeted market for this card should not have any problems meeting that spending requirement for the bonus. However, if for some reason you need some spending options, use our Card Bonus Spending Requirement guide for the most popular ways others are using.

For bonus seekers, one popular method is by funding new bank accounts with their credit cards. Many do this to open new Checking accounts that have sign-up bonuses. Plan this out thoughtfully and you could end up with thousands of dollars in bonus money every year.

Find the best bank account bonuses here, and bank accounts that can be funded with a credit card here.

What’s The Competition?

Our team personally picks the Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card as our favorite premium travel credit card. It was released in the latter half of 2016, and was a big hit for Chase. The sign-up bonus offer is better, the annual travel credit is higher, your points are worth more at travel redemption, you earn rewards faster on dining, and the Ultimate Rewards program is a long term favorite with consumers.

The other big player is The Platinum Card® from American Express. This card earns rewards faster than its competitors on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. You’ll also get more lounge access that includes The Centurion, International American Express, Delta Sky Club, and Airspace Lounges networks, as well as the Priority Pass Select membership. However, one big pitfall for international travelers is going to be the lack of American Express acceptance in many locations abroad.

Chase Sapphire ReserveSM

The Chase Sapphire ReserveSM card is still offering 100,000 bonus points (worth $1,500 toward travel) when you apply in-branch by March 12, 2017. The offer available online is for 50,000 bonus points (worth $750 toward travel). With either offer, you'll need to spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

This is a premium travel card with a premium annual fee of $450. But, you'll receive premium benefits such as a $300 Annual Travel Credit, access to 1,000+ airport lounges with Priority Pass Select, 3X points on travel and dining, and 50% more in travel redemption. MoneysMyLife picks this as the best premium travel credit card. Full Review

100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening (in-branch offer until 03/12/2017; online offer is for 50,000 bonus points)

Receive up to $300 in statement credits annually as reimbursement for travel purchases such as airfare and hotels charged to your card*

Earn 3X points on travel worldwide from airfare and hotels to taxis and trains*

Earn 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide from fast casual to fine dining*

Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases*

Get 50% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.* For example, 50,000 points are worth $750 toward travel

No blackout dates or travel restrictions — as long as there’s a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards

Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®*

1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs

Access to 900+ airport lounges worldwide with complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership*

Special car rental privileges from National Car Rental, Avis and Silvercar when you book with your card*

Special benefits during your stay with The Luxury Hotel & Resort CollectionSM*

Pay no foreign transaction fees†

Card Details

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The Platinum Card® from American Express

The Platinum Card® from American Express has an offer for 40,000 bonus points after your spend $3,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. The best options for redeeming these points would be by booking travel through American Express or by redeeming for gift cards. Using these options, the 40,000 bonus will be worth $400.

The biggest drawback to this card is the $450 annual fee, which puts it in the premium class of credit cards. The card has a market because it offers premium travel benefits, such as 5X points for flights, access to 1,000+ airport lounges, and a $200 airline fee credit annually. For frequent travelers, the added benefits make sense in terms of value and added luxury.

Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $3,000 in purchases in your first 3 months.

5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.

$200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 a year for baggage fees and more at one airline. Terms Apply.

As a Platinum Card Member, you can enjoy access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations worldwide. Terms Apply.

Enroll to enjoy the benefits of complimentary Hilton HHonors™ Gold Status with your Platinum Card®.

No interest charges because you pay your balance in full each month.

Terms and Conditions apply.

Card Details

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